Lake Bled promenade displays iconic images

There are countless postcards and photographs displaying the images of Bled, but the current promenade exhibition, which opened on 1 August and will run until 23 August, focuses on the photographs of fine artworks and has been organised by the gallery and Bled Tourism.

The exhibition, titled Images of Paradise, displays depictions of the lake, Bled Island, the castle towering above the lake and surrounding mountains. It features captions in the Slovenian and English languages.

The town is part of the Impressionisms Routes network, held under the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme. Places in Slovenia which captivated the imagination of the country's Impressionist painters or were life-defining for the artists in some other way make up the network.

In the first half of the 19th century, artists placed nature side by side with human emotions, harking back to the romanticised past and rebelling against pure rationalism as a response to the industrial revolution. Bled was ideal for depicting such nostalgic yearnings due to its medieval allure.

The mountains became one of the central motifs, invoking identification of the nation with the country's summits and landscape in general. Bled images combine natural and cultural heritage and have been as such firmly embedded in the national identity, said the gallery. The resort is also one of the mainstays of Slovenia's tourism.

Every Wednesday, free-of-charge guided tours will be available at the site of the exhibition, the promenade which was always bustling with tourists and other strollers before the corona times. The number of participants is capped at ten now due to anti-corona restrictions and bookings are requested.

After Images of Paradise wraps up in late August, a new exhibition will be held displaying old photographs of Bled, including those capturing bygone hotels and mansions, visits of prominent personalities and day-to-day life.